Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698938387490.pdf (United Kingdom)
Suicide or self-harm: Universal Credit Six Point Plan Framework Contents Introduction Six Point Plan Local Six Point Plan Third party reports a claimant intends to attempt suicide or self-harm Declarations made in writing, electronically or by social media Claimant declares intention during a home visit Claimant threatens to harm others Recording claimant declaration of intention Escalation to the Advanced Customer Support Senior Leader Reviewing the incident Support for staff following an incident Introduction A claimant might declare that they intend to harm or kill themselves.
This can be distressing for those concerned, but there are some important points a member of staff should know that can help resolution.

Being prepared and having well managed processes in place help to reduce distress and achieve an outcome where everyone is safe.

Staff should be alert to claimants who may directly declare, or whose behaviour indicates, an intention to attempt suicide or self- harm.
Whilst some claimants may declare they intend to kill or harm themselves as a threat or a tactic to persuade; others will mean it.

Procedures and actions must be organised around the assumption that it is a real possibility that the claimant will act on their declaration.

DWP staff are not counsellors, but it is important that systems, procedures and responses are in place and that members of staff know what to do if a claimant declares they intend to harm themselves.
When dealing with this type of incident, the safety of the member of staff must always come first.

Staff members have a responsibility for their own safety and must ensure that they do not put themselves at risk when attempting to help or advise the claimant.

Staff must be aware that, if possible, they must summon a colleague to act as a support partner, so they are not dealing with the incident alone.
The support partner can: take notes find contact phone numbers • • • witness the conversation Six Point Plan The Six Point Plan must be completed in all cases where any indication is given that the claimant is thinking about suicide / self-harm.

Pinned notes should read “Six Point Plan invoked” with the date, so agents are aware in all future interventions.

The Universal Credit Six Point Plan can be found below.

1.

Take the statement seriously: remain calm.

Be professional and listen carefully.


All threats of suicide or self-harm should be taken seriously 2.

Summon a colleague: to act as a support partner.
Where applicable: • alert your Team Leader (TL) and / or Support Partner (SP), • your support partner must be able to hear or listen into the conversation as best they can If you are Face to face or telephony staff: • follow your local process to get help from a colleague who will act as your support partner • do not put the claimant on hold if on a telephony line • record the claimant’s phone number in case you get cut off If you are home working: • alert a support partner within your local support group using a local Teams method • where possible the support partner will access the case so they are able to view the claimant’s address / location and if there are any named people who may be able to help, if required • whilst contacting the support partner using Teams, make sure you manage the silences with the claimant effectively, for example, explain that you are taking down details to get them some support or adding your support partner to the call, if appropriate.
The support network is there for two reasons: to support you as you deal with the claimant and to act as a witness to what is said during the call.

3.

Gather information, to gauge level of risk.

A) By asking • Where are they now?

• Are they at home or another location?

• Do they intend to go anywhere else?

Is there anybody else with them?

• • Have they already attempted self-harm?

If they have acted, what action have they taken?

If not, what are their plans?


Have they received treatment or are they currently receiving treatment?

B) By checking, is there any reference on the claimants’ records of vulnerability or mental health concerns (check if payment is due).

C) Does the claimant threaten to harm others?

You are not expected to counsel the customer.

The purpose of your conversation is to identify their needs and encourage or help them to seek appropriate support.
Record key information such as the customer’s location and any plans they have, to go elsewhere to harm themselves 4.

Provide referral advice.

If the situation is non-urgent, for example general distress but no immediate plans or means to attempt suicide or self-harm.

Refer to your local DPT (District Provision Tool) and provide customer with details of support organisations.

Further information is provided on the District Provision Tool.
This shows details of local organisations that can provide support for customers at risk of suicide or self-harm in each district.

5.

Summon Emergency help.

If a customer is distressed, at serious risk or in immediate danger.

Your Team Leader and / or Support Partner will assist you with this.

If there is urgent and immediate threat to life.

Do not delay contact the emergency services.

This can be done by any member of staff using 999.


Request appropriate emergency services, the Police and / or Ambulance.

You do not need the claimant’s consent to call the emergency services, but it is important to let the claimant know what is happening and why.

By not doing this you may cause further distress to the claimant if the emergency services arrive at their location, unexpectedly.

If contact with the Police is the most appropriate action, record the Police Incident Number.
6. Review and record Review, discuss the incident with a line manager and record the incident as soon as possible Local Six Point Plan Managers in all DWP businesses who work with claimants must use the Six Point Plan to develop arrangements that suit their own local working environments.

This is to help staff deal effectively and safely with claimant declarations of intention to attempt suicide or self-harm.

The local Six Point Plan must be developed in consultation with the local trade union.
There is an Outline local Six Point Plan template to help prepare the Plan.

The Plan must contain details of how to summon a colleague to act as a support partner.

The local Six Point Plan must be kept up to date and communicated to all staff who work with claimants.

Staff must refresh their knowledge and understanding of the local Six Point Plan at least twice annually using scenario role play and following any incident.
It is strongly advised that staff create a desktop shortcut to the local Six Point Plan so that they can access it quickly and easily if they need it.

Staff members who are working away from the office (for example, on visiting duties) are also strongly recommended to carry a copy of the local Six Point Plan with them.
It is not possible or desirable within this guidance to fully identify the range of ways in which claimants might declare they intend to kill or harm themselves and to specify the action to take in every situation.

Staff must be aware of the principles of the Six Point Plan and should use these as a basis to enable them to effectively manage situations that may arise.
Third party reports a claimant intends to attempt suicide or self- harm A third party might contact Universal Credit to inform that a claimant intends to attempt suicide or self-harm.

A third party could include: the claimant’s representative family member friends • • • • organisations such as Social Services landlord • • neighbour These are examples, this is not a full list.
In these circumstances it is reasonable to expect the third party to manage the situation, for example, by encouraging the claimant to contact their GP or Community Mental Health Team.

If the third party considers the claimant to be at serious risk or in immediate danger, they must call the emergency services.

If the third party is capable of managing the situation, they must be informed that no further action will be taken.
Details of the incident and discussion with the third party are noted on the Six Point Plan Incident Review Form.

If the third party is not capable of managing the situation and the claimant seems to be at serious risk or in immediate danger, the emergency services should be called.

Details of the incident, discussion with the third party and any action taken are noted on the Six Point Plan Incident Review Form.
Declarations made in writing, electronically or by social media Occasionally, a claimant may say they intend to attempt suicide or self-harm in a letter, email, or in their Journal.

In such cases, every effort must be made to contact the claimant to: • activate the local Six Point Plan • gather as much information as possible • signpost to local support, for example their doctor or the Community Mental Health Team where necessary This list is not exhaustive.
If there is sufficient concern about a claimant, the emergency services may be called.

The details of the incident are noted on the record of claimant declaration of intention to attempt suicide or self-harm form.

There is a separate Six Point Plan for handling declarations made through social media.

Such incidents should be referred to the Regional Social Media Manager for action in accordance with the DWP Social Media Six Point Plan and the Jobcentre Plus Twitter Operation Instructions.
Claimant declares intention during a home visit A claimant may declare an intention to attempt suicide or self-harm during a home visit.

The principles of the local Six Point Plan apply.

If possible, the Jobcentre must be contacted to get support to handle the incident and to rearrange or cancel any other visits arranged for that day.

The safety of the member of staff must always come first when dealing with this type of incident.
If at any time there is any sign of a weapon, such as a knife, gun or petrol, the member of staff must leave the property immediately and contact the emergency services.

Claimant threatens to harm others The claimant may be agitated and could come across as aggressive and threatening to others.

They may have a weapon or threaten to self-harm in the office in such a way that would endanger others - such as pouring petrol on themselves and the surroundings and threatening to set fire to it.
In these circumstances it is important to report the incident using the Unacceptable Customer Behaviour procedures.

Recording claimant declaration of intention Regardless of whether Unacceptable Customer Behaviour procedures apply or not, details of the incident are noted on a Six Point Plan Incident Review Form.

It is good practice to do this within a day of the incident if possible.
The record must be as detailed as possible including, for example: the time and duration of contact with the claimant • • what the claimant said or did • their behaviour and demeanour, for example if they were: fidgety o o not interested o vacant fast or slow talking o o not replying to you talking incoherently o o not making eye contact • key information provided to the claimant, for example details of: o any actions the claimant said they would take such as contacting their GP, visiting a friend or family member o any specialist support held on the relevant District Provision Tool o any support organisations: the local Community Mental Health Team ▪ ▪ Samaritans: a confidential emotional support service available 24 hours a day Tel 116 123, free from both landlines and mobiles ▪ MIND: mental health charity providing confidential mental health information services: 0300 1233393 ▪ Breathing Space: a free, confidential phone and web based service for people in Scotland experiencing low mood, depression or anxiety: 0800 838587 ▪ Get Connected: a free, confidential helpline service for young people under 25: 0808 8084994 ▪ Cruse Bereavement Care: national charity set up to offer free, confidential help to bereaved people: 0808 808 1677 These are examples, this is not a full list.
A copy of the Six Point Plan Incident Review Form should be forwarded electronically to your local Single Point of Contact or site leader.

This will be retained for legal purposes and localised Six Point Plan reviews.

The member of staff recording the incident must also record on the claimant’s history that the Six Point Plan has been invoked.

Escalation to the Advanced Customer Support Senior Leader Before escalation, all business as usual (BAU) procedures in the six-point plan must be completed.
If there is still an underlying issue around the suicide intent, then refer to the Advanced Customer Support Senior Leader (ACSSL) community using the following link: Advanced Customer Support Senior Leader (ACSSL) Referral Process.

Reviewing the incident Following all claimant declarations of intention to attempt suicide or self-harm, the incident must be reviewed by the line manager on the Review of incident form.docx at the earliest opportunity.
This is a chance to reflect on: • how the incident was handled • whether the localised Six Point Plan worked effectively • any lessons to be learned for future handling and responses • any support needed to help deal with reactions to the experience The support partner must be included in the review.

The completed review record must be kept for 6 years, and a copy sent to the person in the Jobcentre who looks after developing and reviewing the localised Six Point Plan.
Support for staff following an incident It is important to consider how the member of staff and the support partner feel about handling the incident.

It can be very upsetting, but they should remember that they are not responsible for actions the claimant might take or if they decide not to seek help.

Encouraging the claimant to seek help or by calling the emergency services is all that can be reasonably expected of them.

Some people will be affected differently.


They may need some time off work or wish to receive the independent, confidential counselling services available under the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).

The EAP helpline: 0800 028 8763, is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and all calls are free of charge from landlines.

There is no limit to the number of calls that can be made to the helpline.
The EAP also has a management support service to help a line manager deal with these conversations with their members of staff.